A street in San Francisco will be renamed Saturday in honour of an 84-year-old Thai grandfather killed in a brutal attack that galvanised Asian Americans reeling from a surge in physical and verbal assaults during the pandemic.

A short lane in a neighbourhood will be called “Vicha Ratanapakdee Way″ and celebrated at an afternoon gathering expected to attract hundreds of people. Speakers will include Ratanapakdee’s daughter, Monthanus Ratanapakdee, and actor Daniel Dae Kim.

Vicha Ratanapakdee was on his usual morning walk in January 2021 when authorities say Antoine Watson, 19 at the time, charged at him and knocked him to the ground. Ratanapakdee died two days later, never regaining consciousness.

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His death has become a symbol in the national movement to end hate against Asian Americans. Asians in America have long been subject to prejudice, but the attacks escalated after the coronavirus first appeared in late 2019 in Wuhan, China.